Pipe cutter



W. L. CHURCH June 16, 1931.

PIPE CUTTER Filed April 29,

Patented :Juhe 16, 1931 a sectien'at a time. 7 V

" WALTER 1 0111mm, :nfioustnbmihims; AssIG NdR: OF'oNE H -ALF T o.W'.- L; P ARCE,

OFjiIARRIS COUNTY, .t t Y l PIrJ JJGUTTER one, object bf the invehtion is to pi'dv i de an implement bf. ehaf'actei' deseribed fwhich ni ay be let/down into 3, 'pipestuk if} 21;; Well bore, end tl i-teugh which said sth'ck -pipem ayb eut .iiito Sections for removal,

Another "object of the i'n'ventibh 21 t pro vide a pipecuttenoperable through a tubular jst'em fro the 'grpiund surface with provis on fbr permitting the drilling fluiiin the stem will n'ot be eellep's edby the pressure 'of,

bzi' k intQ the here when the cutter is being, "withchia'whfl omthe here, i a H H Affurthezt'featuiie' of the inventi n resides inf'f'the' provisibh'ofe pipe 'et1tteihe ing a neyel type of biitt'er'fblad'ee ineunt'ed and feethzit'ed i11 a, IibYel blifle jetctti'etg I 111g n'lealhs compnsmg a mandrelfermed and adap tedjto be actuated by fluid. jlndlf' p ess'ufe int' operative reletioii with 13118301111381 blades" whereby the letterymey be actuated "iritejuttingrelation with teeemek p pe;

With" thef tibbx'rfe an other objects view igures l 511512 Show the eppr elidlibwer eds-e1: theeiittf, resp eeively, partlygineee Referee new more, partiuitmy :to' the spring 19 shtienhds the same and is eetiomview takh I the he e jeoa 1 hild'th e @1929. 's' 'riai 1%. 359,693; I t r the-up er end. f's aidbody, and there is e jeoupljifig 4 whose lower end is Screwed into S id i fll hd b ean he i t e g Coarse, thieeds 5 The lower endfof thie co'u glingvcatiies gt 'pistqr'; 6 which norma'll c10se he outl'etfpertis of the cylin'df I tubu-- l ar Operating stem. 8 is; c o hnected tb theepperfehd of the holler 4'by Iheans of Whichthe 001 maybe Qpi'ated' fibril th' rgfei 'nd surarea. I t

The'cutte'r body h'ase; plhfelity efvertieal "grpD'VeS Q therein and s aced parc there ar'euhd t0 feceiveth'efeutter bladeSlO. These blades are pivoted; intermediatetheir ends and wdrkb th'e beejri n g pins 11 anchored to the head. vThGiIf uppeliendS hev'e ihwei dly beveled f1ces,fai' syl 2; and their 1i): er ends havethe sh rp guttin edges,,.as 13.1

Within the body Q1 there i's atubula r mahd'i'el lt who'sie u piiei 'end is emerged and thus formed intoe pistn' l5 f'sm'aHer diameter than that off the jpside of the body to: the passage bf water downwardly thi tjtlghthe body arbun'd the pistoiii Th pp r a ofg he'mn r l r m walve s'eat" 1 6 cgritrqlled. by theiupwardly bpeninlgfvlvefi which is fcbnfined by the et-g6 :18, elsqearried by the fippergend Of saitl v the mend the internal hlimilhr ehofildi-i 2'0 b the expander's 22 whose lb'wer' ends have V "thejeutwhrdly v afid downwardly "flaredfeees,

23', ghich workagaijnsp the-correspendin g it will begtii'dediiitb thestuck pipe by thefbhiiaed of? lower en'd2 of the body As lqwered the fluid t'in the y'vellf will enter' hreug'h hefiui peesa ewa 24, ofth e "andfel 1-4, liftingthe alve walls of bore, or pipe. Fluid will then be pumped down through the stem 8 and will operate against the piston and force the mandrel 14 and blade expanders 21 downwardly, overcoming pressure of the spring 19. The pressure fluid will pass on down around said piston and out through the ports 25 and the grooves 9. As the expanders 21 move downwardly their faces 23, operating against the opposing'faces 12 of the respective blades 10 will force the upper ends of the cutter blades inwardly and their lower ends outwardly carrying the cutting edges 13 into con tact with the pipe to becut. The cutter is then rotated while the fluid pressure is maintained against said piston .and the cutting edges are thereby held firmly against said pipe. Said cutters ma be thus expanded ter will rotate freely when the cut is completed, aflording also indication to said operator. Thepressure of fluid against the piston is then relieved and the spring 19 will then elevate the mandrel and blade expanders, relative to said body and the blades 10 will swing, hy,grav ity,a'ssisted by the springs 25, backmto the grooves 9. p

The upper end of the cylinder 3 has a notch 27 extexidmg about three fourths of the distance'therearound and a lug =28 is fixed to the couplings and projectsdown into said notch.

elcut is being made, this lug works While 't against the shoulder 29, at one end of said ,notch, andestablishes a driving relation between said coupling and cylinder. Before withdrawing the tool the stem .8, and. couplingA should be turned backwardly until the said lug 28 engages the shoulder 30,- at the other end of said notch. The threads 5- have such a pitch that this backward turn of the coupling 4 will operate to elevatethe'plunger 6 above and clear ofthe ports 7. The cutter ,p

may now be withdrawn and the fluid in'the stem will drain out through said ports 7 back into the bore as the cutteris withdrawn.

Afpreferred form of the invention hasbeen shown and described, byway of illustration,

but the broad principleof the invention will be defined by the appended claims. 1 r f WhatIclaimis:

1. A pipe cutter including a body having a fluid passageway therethrough, cutters pivotally mounted in external longitudinal grooves 'in'the bod amember having separate, detachable, b ade expanders shaped to engage the upper ends ofsaid cutters and pivoted t ereon, a tubular operating efl'ective to thereby move the lower ends of said cutters outwardly, and fluid pressure operated means on said member.

2. A pipe cutter including a body, cutters pivoted to the body and having cutting edges at one end, a member above said cutters adapted to be moved downwardly and having separate means which move in independent bearings in the body and are shaped to engage the other ends of said cutters to move the cutting edges outwardly, a fluid pressure operated means on said member, a spring on said member above the cutters acting to hold said member normally raised.

3. A pipe cutter including a body having external longitudinal grooves, cutters pivote in said grooves, a member above said cutters adapted to be moved downwardly and having separate, detachable expanders shaped to engage the upper ends of said cutters and effective to force the lower ends of the cutters outwardly, a fluid pressure operated means on said member, a yieldable seat supporting said member andnormally holding said member elevated. 4. A pipe cutterincluding a body havibrgg external longitudinal grooves, cutters pivo in said grooves, a member above said cutters adapted to be moved downwardly and having means which work in said grooves and are shaped to en age the upper ends of said cutters andv e e'ctive to force thelower ends of the cutters outwardly, a fluid pressure operated means on said member, a yieldable seat supporting said member and normally holding said member elevated, there'being a passageway throu h said body ermittmg the passage of uid downwar ly therethrough at all times during the operation of the cutter. I

5; A pipefcutter includin a body, cutters "pivoted thereon,,a member a ove said cutters adapted to be moved downwardly and having detachable expanders shaped to engage the upper ends of said cutters and move the lower ends thereof outwardly, a piston on saidmember, and a resilient means supported by the bodyand supporting said piston and normally holding said member raised.

6; A pipe cutterincluding a body, cutters body and member having an inlet fluid passageway ,therethrough, and an upwardly opening valve controlling said passageway. 7 A pi e cutter including a body, cutters string towhich said body is attached, sai string havinga drain :port, a member above said cutters adapted to be moved downwardlyand shaped to engage the upper ends of said ivoted thereon, a member above said cutters 1 the string to open'or close said port, and a name tolthis specification.

cutters and move the lower ends thereof outwardly, means operative by the rotation of resilient means supported by the body and supporting said member.

8. A pipe cutter including a body, cutters pivoted thereon, a tubular member, including an operating string, to which the body is attached'and which has a drain port, a memher in said body adapted to be moved longitudinally of the body and shaped to engage the cutters at one end and move the other ends thereof outwardly, means rotatable by the string to open'orc'lose said port, fluid pressure operated means on said member within said body and spaced from the walls thereof to provide a passageway for fluid downwardly through said body about said fluid pressure operated means. e

1 9. A pipe cutter including a body having external longitudinal grooves, cutters pivoted in said grooves, a member adapted to be moved longitudinally of the body and having means which work in alignment with said.

grooves and are shaped to engage the cutters atone end and'eflective to force the other ends of the cutters outwardly, a fluid pressure operated means on said member, a yieldable seat against which said member works and j normally holding themember, and the cutter operating means carried thereby, in inactive position, there being a passageway'through said body permittingjthe passage of a fluid downwardly therethrough at all times during the operation of the cutter.

,In testimony whereof I have signed my WALTER CHURCH. 

